SKOPJE (AFP) – North Macedonia appears to be on a collision course with its European Union (EU) neighbours Greece and Bulgaria, with double-header elections yesterday likely to return the country’s right-wing opposition to power.
The vote could have a major effect on the Balkan country’s dream of joining the EU.
After scoring a landslide win in the first round of presidential elections last month, the VMRO-DPMNE party was heading into the run-off vote and simultaneous parliamentary elections brimming with confidence.
Party chief Hristijan Mickoski has refused to acknowledge the country’s new name and a historic agreement with Greece in 2018, which added ‘North’ to its title to settle a long-running dispute and allowed the country to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Mickoski has also vowed to stand firm in a tussle with Bulgaria over linguistic and historical issues that has seen Sofia block North Macedonia’s EU accession talks for the past two years.
Bulgaria has demanded Skopje change its constitution to acknowledge its tiny Bulgarian minority.
Polls opened at 7am local time yesterday.
“Victory is within reach and it is a consequence of all the suffering and humiliation this government brought,” Mickoski told supporters at a rally in the capital fired up by his message.
If his VMRO-DPMNE party secures a majority in the Parliament, Mickoski will likely be the country’s next prime minister.
Since taking over the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE in 2017, Mickoski has revamped the tattered party after its former leader and ex-PM Nikola Gruevski fled corruption convictions and was given asylum in Viktor Orban’s Hungary.
